slowly learning to live life with God, and others, for the sake of the world

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

mission focus : geographic or demographic?

We have been talking quite a lot about mission around these parts recently.

For quite a long time I think it would be true to say that we have conceived of our mission in demographic rather than geographic terms i.e. we are trying to focus on a people group (the postmoderns for want of a better word) rather than a particular geographical area.

I sense that is beginning to change for us.

We are hearing God's call to become a sign and symbol of the kingdom of God (and to seek the kingdom of God) in a more geographically focused way. That for us means the Cowley Road area of Oxford (see photo above).

I said to someone the other day that we want to see people who live, work and play in the Cowley Road area come to faith.

At the moment - although we gather there (in the local community centre) on Sunday nights for worship, no one locally would really know we were there. Our presence is very light - we kind of parachute in and then out again.

So - we are investigating the possibility of opening a cafe on the Cowley Road which will give us a greater ability to be present to those who live, work and play there. I will blog about this separately as things develop. We have an important meeting tomorrow about it.

On another - related note - a fascinating book has recently come out: 'Isolarion' by James Attlee is his pilgrimage (his word) or travelogue up the Cowley Road. It's had some great reviews and some of us in hOME have started reading it.He is speaking about it tonight in Oxford at the QI building (it would have seemed more appropriate for him to speak about it somewhere on the Cowley Road but there you are!). It's free and it's at 7.30pm if you're local and you fancy it.

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About Me

i am one of the leaders of a young missional faith community in the city of Oxford, UK, called 'home' (see link below). you can read more about us at our site. i should say at this point that any of the views expressed here are not necessarily the views of the community as a whole! there's the disclaimer out of the way! we have been taken in by the Church of England who have carved out some space - financially, physically and ecclesiologically - for us to explore life and mission in the culture we find ourselves a part of.
I am married to Pippa and she is lush. I am now also a proud and doting father to our beautiful little baby girl, Lily-Anna.